finding joy in the simple things

Prayer of a New Mom

Being a new mom is scary. I’m 100% responsible for this helpless little being that relies on me for everything.

In fact, it kind of feels like I’m stuck.

The first week was fun. My baby was the new big attraction and everyone wanted to help, give me gifts, & hold the little one I had spent nine months creating.

Then reality set in.

The reality that I will spend most of my days alone in this quiet house, tip-toeing…hoping the baby won’t wake up. The reality that there’s a little human glued to my side each of his waking moments. The reality that if I do get to socialize…the second they cry, someone will hand them right back to me. The reality that I am literally their lifeline for at least four months.

But what about me? I need a lifeline too.

Psalm 61:2“From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

It was hard enough to remember to ask God for strength when I had all the time in the world. Now I am overwhelmed, exhausted, & feel like I had a good day when I get a shower and actually sit down for an entire meal. Quite often, the last thing on my mind is running to God for strength.

I know that this is only a season. I want to remember these sweet little newborn smiles, the soft droopy cheeks, & the intimate moments getting sweet baby kisses. I know this time will pass so quickly & I will someday long to have these days back. I must remember to ask God for the grace to enjoy these days.

When I am weak from hours of patting, feeding, changing & repeating… I can run to God for the strength to keep going.

Above all, I must remember that being a mommy is more than just my job. It’s a ministry, a blessing, & truly a beautiful gift from God that many don’t ever get to experience.

God created motherhood for a reason. It was his best plan for us all to have a mommy and daddy that love us, so that we can all experience a hint of his unconditional & self-sacrificing love for us. Because he created it, I know he will give me the strength to endure it.

Isaiah 40:11 “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

Lord, I ask that I will not forget this when I am in the midst of all the daily things. I pray that I will always see the eternal in what so often seems repetitive & exhausting. Give me the grace to love my child with sacrificial love…the same way that you love me. Help me to see what I am doing as a gift & a ministry to my child – to teach him about who you are & what it means to be a servant. Give me strength when I have nothing left physically or emotionally to offer. Lord, gently lead me. Please give me what I need to be the best mother that I can possibly be to this beautiful child you have decided to entrust to me. It is an honor to serve you & raise one of your children. Amen.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born & a time to die… a time to cry & a time to laugh, a time to grieve & a time to dance… What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for it’s own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded that there is nothing better than to be happy & enjoy ourselves as long as we can – and people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.”